1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to weather related dual-polarization radar data and uses of same. More specifically, but not to be considered limiting, the present invention provides a system and method for utilizing dual-polarization generated data generally associated with weather events for mapping data, producing geo-referenced data, producing mosaics, generation of conditional precipitation masks, production of vertical cross sections and predetermined fly throughs, producing short term forecasting, prediction of specific weather phenomenon, correcting or adjusting rain gauge data as well as quantitative precipitation estimation, and combining other meteorological data to correct or adjust estimated rainfall accumulation gathered by dual-polarization radar.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The word “radar” is an acronym for radio detection and ranging. During World War II, military radar operators noticed noise in returned echoes due to weather elements like rain, snow, and sleet. Just after the war, military scientists returned to civilian life or continued in the Armed Forces and pursued their work in developing a use for those echoes. In 1953, Donald Staggs, an electrical engineer working for the Illinois State Water Survey, made the first recorded radar observation of a “hook echo” associated with a tornadic thunderstorm. Between 1950 and 1980, reflectivity radars, which measure position and intensity of precipitation, were built by weather services around the world. During the 1970s, radars began to be standardized and organized into networks. The first devices to capture radar images were developed. The number of scanned angles was increased to get a three-dimensional view of the precipitation, so that horizontal cross-sections (CAPPI) and vertical ones could be performed. Studies of the organization of thunderstorms were then possible.
In 1964, The National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) was formed and began experimentation on dual-polarization signals and on the uses for the Doppler effect. In May 1973, a tornado devastated Union City, Okla., just west of Oklahoma City. For the first time, a Dopplerized 10-cm wavelength radar from NSSL documented the entire life cycle of the tornado.
Between 1980 and 2000, weather radar networks became the norm and conventional radars were replaced by Doppler radars, which in addition to position and intensity it could track the relative velocity of the particles in the air. After 2000, research on dual-polarization technology has moved into operational use, increasing the amount of information available on precipitation type (e.g. rain vs. snow).
“Dual-polarization” generally means that microwave radiation which is polarized both horizontally and vertically (with respect to the ground) is emitted. Most current weather radars, such as the National Weather Service NEXRAD radar, transmit radio wave pulses that have a horizontal orientation. Polarimetric radars (also referred to as dual-polarization radars), transmit radio wave pulses that have both horizontal and vertical orientations. The horizontal pulses essentially give a measure of the horizontal dimension of cloud (cloud water and cloud ice) and precipitation (snow, ice pellets, hail, and rain) particles while the vertical pulses essentially give a measure of the vertical dimension. Since the power returned to the radar is a complicated function of each particles size, shape, and ice density, this additional information results in improved estimates of rain and snow rates, better detection of large hail location in summer storms, and improved identification of rain/snow transition regions in winter storms.
What is needed is to provide a system and or method that will fully utilize dual-polarization for weather information collection and interpretation where the prior art is deficient. Therefore, a need and a desire exist to provide a system and method that allows a more full utilization of the current technology to reap the beneficial results therein.